gradually; by degrees; little by little; steps; stairs; staircase
work (e.g. of art); piece; harvest; crop; technique
stubborn; dogged; persistent; tough; sturdy; hardy
at (a time or place); in; in (a situation, matter, etc.); on (a point); on the part of; under the authority of
invincible; unrivaled; unrivalled; matchless; unbeatable; undefeatable
absurd; unreasonable; rash; reckless; excessive; immoderate
eyeball; special feature; centerpiece; special program; loss leader; sunny-side up fried egg
simultaneously; all at once; in unison
inadvertently (letting out a laugh); quickly; all of a sudden; all at once
to attack; to go for; to come at; to pounce on; to jump on; to swoop down on
to exploit a gap (in attention, security, etc.); to catch off guard
to become thin; to lose weight; to slim; to become impoverished (of soil); to become sterile; to become infertile
black; black stone; guilt; guilty person
wooden hammer; wooden mallet
armpit; under one's arm; beside; close to; aside; to the side; off-track
fantastic; grotesque; strange-looking; suspicious-looking
to display one's real ability; to show one's real ability; to show one's stuff; to show oneself at one's best; to really shine; to come into one's own
to fly through the air; to hurtle through the air; to strike at something and miss; to fan the air
to be visible; to be clear; to be evident; to be certain
front; frontage; facade; main
needle; pin; hook; stinger; thorn; hand (e.g. clock, etc.); pointer
noisy; boisterous; turbulent (era, etc.); troubled
this is not the time (for that); that's out of the question right now
strenuous effort; hard struggle; working hard; hard fighting; fierce fighting
other people's affairs; someone else's problem
it doesn't matter what; anything is fine
actually; really; truly; in practice; practically
real experience; actual observations
reversal (of a situation); turnaround; turnabout; reversal (of direction of rotation)
it is darkest under the lamp post; it's hard to see what is under your nose; go abroad to hear of home; you must go into the country to hear what news at London
to hold out (e.g. against an attack); to hang on; to withstand; to endure; to last
(in a) long time; long time (ago); while (ago); long ago; long while (ago); (in a) long while
tail (of an animal); cauda; tail (of a kite, etc.); tail end; tail (of a comet); slope at the foot of a mountain
to find someone's weak spot; (lit.) to drill a hole
immigration; emigration; immigrant; emigrant
disagreeable; unpleasant; adverse; unsympathetic
main performer; star performer; headliner; rakugo storyteller of the highest rank
to thrust away; to send flying
to lend an ear to; to listen to
headquarters; head office; main office